Yellow is the best color in the world
by J.A.Kishu
Summary: Greg visits little William and John. The story includes shirts on the wrong side, caves made out of books and all the colors of the rainbow. Part 17 of Little Sherlock


**Yellow is the best color in the world**

 _(Part 17 of Little Sherlock)_

"William you need to get dressed." John shouted into the living room. His little friend was playing with Mr. Bee and still in his pajamas. It was nearly eleven and Greg was on his way. The clothes were lying on the sofa ready for William to get dressed.

The previous day the boy had refused to let John dress him because he was big enough to do it alone. John let him but today he didn't seem to want to get dressed at all.

"I can help you. It's okay to still need help when you are little. Buttons are very tricky and don't let me get started on shoes." John smiled at William.

"No." William turned away and crawled under the table. Most of the space under the table was filled with books from their book shelf. William had built walls out of them and now he had 'his' cave. John wasn't allowed inside. John had the distinct impression that Sherlock or better William was entering the terrible twos or was it threes. He didn't really know which one it was, but he still needed the child to get dressed.

"William we are about to have someone visit with us and I think Greg would like you to be dressed so that when he wants to go out to the park or to the playground with you, you will be already dressed and have more time to play." William's head poked out of his cave and watched John walking over to the sofa to get the clothes. Without entering the cave or coming too close he reached his hand into the cave opening and a transfer of clothes was quickly made.

John was very tired, he needed a bit of uninterrupted sleep but he couldn't leave William alone or bring him in bed with him; he wouldn't get any rest that way. So he had called Greg after he had come home from his night shift and found a very sugar-pumped child waiting for him. Mrs. Hudson had thought it was a good idea to give him a sweet breakfast and after watching William carry every book to the table the whole morning he had decided that he was too tired for that game. John called Greg, knowing the man had a day off and asked him to come over and babysit.

John listened to William talking to his friend while fighting with the socks. He had offered help and he would wait until William asked for it. In the meantime he got lunch ready so Greg would only have to reheat it in the microwave. He also placed a paper with notes about ever activity he could distract William with to avoid him getting bored. But most times that wasn't necessary because William could play with Mr. Bee the whole day without noticing time passing.

When the doorbell rang William was still busy getting dressed. "William, I'm opening the door, try to be ready when we are back up here." John knew that William wouldn't make it but the last noises that he had heard under the table had indicated a game and not getting dressed.

John opened the door. "Hello Greg, thanks for coming by. I really need a bit of sleep and Mrs. Hudson has an appointment she can't miss."

"You really look like you would need a kip mate. Let's go upstairs so you can get your sleep and I can spend a bit of quality time with William." Greg would never tell Sherlock but he loved the hours spent with his child version. There was something innocent and pure in him. Greg didn't want to know what had happened to transform this emotional and sensitive child into the man who never showed and kind of emotion and sometimes even denied having them in the first place.

Upstairs there still was no dressed William to be seen. "William, Greg came to visit and play with you while I take a nap. Would you like to come out of your cave and say hello?" Greg recognized the cave after John pointed at it and smiled. Surely a different way to make use of books.

"Good night John, we need a minute, Mr. Bee needs help with getting dressed. We will be out in a minute." One of the books fell down from the top as if something had pushed from the inside of the cave against it.

"He wants to be a big boy and dress himself." John told Greg as he stepped upstairs to fall onto his bed and into a dreamless and exhausted sleep.

In the living room Greg sat down on John's chair and listened to the noises inside the cave. It sounded as William was having trouble getting dressed but most three year olds were able to get dressed without help. William was starting to become more independent than other children his age. "William can I have a look in your cave?" Not that he was worried about him but he would like to see what he was doing. He was the babysitter after all and that came with a whole lot of responsibility.

"No the cave is not allowed to adults. But I can come out and we can play." That was alright with Greg.

The first thing that came out of the cave was Mr. Bee; William placed him beside the entrance and crawled out after his friend. When Greg saw the result of William's attempt to dress himself he had to stop himself from laughing. The child was wearing yellow socks but most of the fabric was somewhere else and not covering his feet. The trousers looked good but the buttons weren't closed. The label from the t-shirt was under his chin, so he was wearing it inside out so the picture on it wasn't recognizable and also back to front. "Good morning William, I see you two are dressed."

"Good morning Greg." William looked happy and started to run to him but he stepped on one of the socks and fell. Greg could see the tears coming and picked the child up before he even started.

"Hey sweetheart, you're okay, nothing bad happened; you just fell." William wiped with his arm over his eyes. "Look Mr. Bee is alright too and he is not crying." Greg placed the toy in William's hands. "How about we fix the socks a bit?

"Okay. But don't tell John. I'm a big boy and I can dress myself." Greg smiled at William who was trying really hard not to cry. They sat down in John's chair and Greg started to dress William properly.

"You are already a big boy." First sock. "Do you want to know why I am sure about that? You help John when you two cook." Second sock. "And you go with him to work and you also help him with my paperwork." Greg pulled the shirt over William's head. "You always watch your friend Mr. Bee, so that he doesn't get hurt or lost." Greg pulled William's arms out of the sleeves and turned the t-shirt so the picture was in the front. "You can go to the toilette alone. Many children your age still wear diapers." The shirt, now on the right site with a dog picture was pulled over William's head, who held his arms in the air to make it easier for Greg. "And you are beginning to dress yourself. There is nothing wrong with getting a little help in the beginning. Everyone needs help when they start to learn something new. Dressing yourself is difficult thing so in the beginning you can start with one piece of clothing at a time so that you then learn to do it alone and right. You did you trousers right, the buttons are a bit hart in the beginning but we can practice that." William started to understand that with fighting against getting dressed with John's help he had made it more difficult for himself. "When you need to get into your pajamas tonight before bed, for example, you can ask John to help you with the shirt and you do the trousers by yourself."

"Okay Greg." Tears forgotten and already loving his time with Greg, William hugged him just for the reason that he was there with him. "Can we play now?"

"Yes, we can play; I also brought you something to play with." Greg retrieved a box full of new crayons out of his coat pocket. William got huge eyes.

"For me?" Carefully the child took his present and held it in his hands. "They are all for me?"

"Yes William but maybe you and me and of course Mr. Bee could color a bit together? I would really like to do that with you." William was happy. He jumped up and down all excited, one hand holding Mr. Bee, the other one the box with his new crayons. He ran over to the couch table and Greg followed him with a few sheets of paper he had found on the desk. Together they sat the whole afternoon and colored picture after picture. William's pictures were mostly yellow and covered with lots of drawings of Mr. Bee.

Because: Yellow is the best color in the world. Warm like the sun and it makes you smile.


End file.
